


No Magic To Save Us

by renegade__soul



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018), The Last of Us (Video Games)
Genre: Alternate Universe - The Last of Us (Video Games) Setting, Angst, Blood and Violence, Catra has Brazilian descendance here deal with it, F/F, Homophobia, I changed everyone's names to make them more "realistic"?, More Tags as I update, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Well it's TLOU what did you expect?, no magic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-07
Updated: 2020-10-27
Packaged: 2021-03-07 16:28:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,789
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26870638
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/renegade__soul/pseuds/renegade__soul
Summary: When they were kids, they never expected that night would change their lives forever. There was an outbreak, they lost their family, they're trying to survive along with other kids like them. What's going to happen to them all when they figure out the safe place they had learnt to live in is not that safe anymore?SPOP characters in a TLOU universe setting.
Relationships: Adora/Catra (She-Ra)
Kudos: 9





	1. Prologue: Outbreak

Rain droplets tapped on the pavement gently. A blonde girl trembled while walking alongside her brunette friend under the dark blue sky, towering buildings surrounding them, people running in front of them seemingly to an unknown destination. The girls didn't understand what was going on because all of a sudden in the middle of the night, their foster family hurried them to get ready and then started to run, they neither knew from what or where they were going. 

It had started to rain when everything got to a blur: too many faces, voices, flashes of light, and pushes all around. When they came to their senses, they couldn't find anyone they knew. They just had each other in that moment under the gentle rain, a contrast to the chaos on earth. 

The girls agreed that maybe if everyone headed in a direction, perhaps they should follow, perhaps they'd find their family in the end of whatever that was. They jogged together, hand in hand, trying to suppress the yelling and screaming from the adults around them, they looked desperate and were snarling and attacking and biting each other until there was blood everywhere. They tried to ignore those images before their own eyes, their jogging turned into a complete sprint, running away from those monsters, from the fire, from danger altogether.

Until they reached some sort of blockade.

Deafening, sharp, sporadic sounds came from somewhere around there but neither of them could tell the direction exactly. They yelped any time the sound came back. People cried and argued with the intimidating people in green and black, they didn't know what to do, all the sounds and images got blurry, confusion and sadness soon became tears in the blonde's eyes while the brunette just curled down behind her friend, fear and despair clawing at her own chest. Feelings that were too much for them both to totally understand.

One of the intimidating people turned and kneeled in front of them. She took off her helmet and smiled warmly at them. The girls found kindness and generosity in those gray eyes. They glanced at each other then, blue met the mismatch with doubt but they still silently agreed it was okay to trust this tanned woman, she offered her hands to them and they gladly took them, forgetting for a minute about the screams of pain and surprise in the distance.

"Mara, what are you doing?" Another woman like her approached them and asked with a condescending tone, "leave those children alone, their parents are probably around there looking for them."

"In this chaos they won't be able to find them, I can take care of them if that's what you're worried about." Mara replied, gently tightening her grip on the girls hands to reassure them. They hid behind her legs.

"Captain Hordak won't allow it and you know it."

"This is out of _Howard's_ understanding," Mara took a step forward towards her equal, "all the man knows is military discipline and regard, and he's not that powerful. They need our help."

The other woman sighed exasperated. They apparently knew each other well and went through enough problems for her to be like this.

"...fine," she conceded, "but if he or another officer does something to you or them, I won't get them off your back this time." The woman moved one of the barriers to let them in and stayed in her position while Mara took the girls to safety and while doing so, the noises seemingly got farther away for the girls relief.

They walked, then sped up, jogged, and finally ran until they got to a tall, broad, gray building. 

Mara opened the door and hushed the girls inside, their hands never fell down from the other. Once she turned on the lights, the girls moved forward to see some sort of hideout, a warehouse that was transformed into a comfortable place to hang out and relax.

"C'mon on girls sit on the couch," Mara encouraged with a smile, "there are sweets in the little fridge in the corner on the right, some board games on the shelves– oh! If you can't reach them you can use the ladder near them."

The girls' expressions looked up at the woman worriedly. "Do you...do you have to leave?" The blonde one asked.

"Yes, but don't worry I will get back here to bring food and drinks to you once I'm free." Mara got to the couch and kneeled in front of them, "I'm going to take care of you as long as I can. I don't know your names yet though."

"Okay, well... my name is Carola, but my friends call me Catra." The brunette shrugged, feeling a bit more at ease than her friend.

"Um... I'm Adora, nice to meet you," she scratched the back of her head and looked around, avoiding Mara's gaze. "You are a soldier, right? Do we have rules to stay here?"

" 'Dora, she seems nice enough to let us do whatever we want! Do you have any toys here?" Catra jumped off the couch and grinned with mischief. Mara chuckled as she thought that now that the girl felt safe, she tried to get comfortable and forget about what was happening.

"Don't be rude! I'm sure she worked hard to get this place just to get it a mess!"

"Don't worry girls, it's fine but Adora's right though. This place is special to me so I want you to take care of it for me while I'm gone, okay?" Mara stood up and got an energy bar from one of the top shelves before tucking it in a pocket. "The other fridge from back there is off limits, so is this shelf right here. I hope I come back soon to check on you." She hopped to the door and glanced back one last time before going out to the chaos at the blockade.

The girls stayed in silence for a solid minute, wondering what to do.

It wasn't until their bellies rumbled that then they raided the little fridge where the sweets were. They looked for the games on the shelves and when sleep took over them, they tried to find some sort of blanket around, which was at the bottom of the forbidden shelf Mara told them about. They agreed that if they didn't take it, they'd be cold so they took it anyways. They got comfortable with each other on the couch, as they had already slept together at their foster house. Missing their family, home and friends, they fell asleep with a bit of difficulty.

They woke up, unaware of the time. The soft sunlight that came from the furthest windows at the top of the walls gave them an idea though. Adora yawned while Catra stretched and then they were out and about again.

However, their little fun got cut short at the obvious realization of reality. Hours flew by, they had tried to save most of the remaining sweets but they were starving, afternoon sunlight was already overhead, they were getting bored of the games... where was Mara?

They were starting to panic until they heard the door creak open. The woman that helped them the night before stepped forward to scan around, when her gaze landed on the girls, they both took stumbling, nervous steps backwards.

"Don't worry. I'm not here to hurt you, I came instead of Mara because–," she seemed to hesitate and the girls shared a glance in a worried manner. "...because she was called by one of our superiors."

The woman let down a great backpack and took out a lot of candies and actual food that just needed to be heated in a microwave. Adora felt her stomach rumble again and hopped to her with a grin. Catra didn't seem to trust it that much but her hunger got the best of her so she still relented and moved to grab some and munch down.

"We don't know your name." The woman looked up from her spot to Catra, "we know Mara 'cause you called her that last night."

"Oh...well, I'm Lucy but in the military I'm just Private Hope. You can call me whichever you like." 

"Lucy Hope? Nice to meet you, miss Hope!" They introduced themselves to Lucy after that and kept on eating until they were full.

"Okay girls, Mara and I have orders and we probably won't be back until tomorrow. So stay put and...well, just be good kids."

Lucy didn't seem to get that well around children and it showed, so Catra and Adora just giggled and relaxed on the couch, already feeling a little drowsy. She had her hand on the knob but she heard Catra sleepily speak up.

"Why'd you come? You said you wouldn't help Mara..."

Lucy pondered on it but didn't answer. She just sighed and left the girls to actually sleep.

So their days went on, boring and repetitive, Mara and Lucy came to the warehouse, either one of them or together to give the girls some food and if they were lucky, they would have some new way to entertain themselves.

However, one night they heard some scratching and groans through the walls. The noises seemed as if whatever was making them was in some sort of pain. Both of them hugged each other and tried to get as far from the walls as possible. Then the sharp, blunt ones returned and as they covered their ears, screams and flesh uncommon sounds came from outside, terrifying them further.

But the groans stopped once the door started to rattle open and showed Mara and Lucy, panting and seemingly tired.

"C'mon girls, come with us quick! This place isn't safe anymore." Mara motioned them outside while Lucy hurried over to grab as many food and other supplies as her backpack could.

"What's happening? What's going on? Where are we going?"

"We'll tell you everything on the way. Let's go!"

Both girls had struck expressions, not understanding what was going on or why they were running but they knew better than to rebel against these women that were so kind to them, they only ran with them until their legs got tired and Mara picked them both up in each arm. Lucy unholstered her gun and kept glancing at the surroundings, all senses alert and concern washing all her features.

“There are sick people,” Mara explained while running, “and they are dangerous. If they hear someone, they are going to catch the person and they’re going to be in serious trouble.” The girls didn't pay too much attention though, they were too scared about what was happening to let the information sink in their minds.

In the distance, they saw their destination: an enormous building with light reflectors on some sort of terrace and soldiers perched there, ready to shoot at whatever implied a threat. It wasn't until they heard a female raspy voice coming from a megaphone that they stopped in their tracks.

"Hands in the air!" Mara dropped the girls gently and followed the order while Lucy saved her gun and mirrored her actions. "Come closer."

The girls just saw and didn't know if they should do as the unknown voice told them. Mara, seemingly noticing their anxiety, glanced back and motioned with her head to them to do the same.

"Halt. Private Hope, Private Ether!" Both women stood straighter than before and saluted the other woman from behind the barricade, "what in your _goddamn_ minds do you think you were doing outside the safe perimeter?"

"Sergeant Weaver! We have been looking out for minor civilians since before the perimeter was put up, ma'am!" Lucy automatically answered, still in her military stance.

"And _why the hell_ have you been doing that...?" The woman glared at Mara, as if having suspicions of her.

"When the outbreak in the city started, they were alone and I took them in, put them in a safe place until we could find their pare–"

"Private Ether, you should know by now that under Captain Hordak's orders, we don't take care of anyone else but ourselves. You know our platoon's motto: 'every man for himself', right?"

"...yes, ma'am. But–"

"Are you even sure they're not infected? That they weren't bitten or they're just hiding it? You've put yourselves at risk with this showcase of weakness!"

"They–" Lucy interrupted shyly, "they aren't infected, ma'am. They've spent more than three days up and going but they haven't turned."

The woman, Sergeant Weaver, finally regarded them with a powerful and intimidating gaze, dark green eyes swallowing them whole and sending chills down their little backs.

"Maybe if you weren't so rebellious, I would save your sorry asses and put you back to work. But other people here like you have found stray kids and Hordak's got a plan..." She smirked, second intentions were laid out now and both Privates swallowed hard at the mood shift and temperature change in their bodies. "Grab the kids, take them inside."

Another soldier at Weaver's command lifted them both up while a different one kept Mara and Lucy at bay by pointing his gun at them. Both pairs screamed at each other, one sending words of encouragement and support while the other just yelled desperately trying to get out of the stranger's hold.

"Do as they say and you'll be fine!"

"Help us! Let us go! Get off!"

"Take care of each other!"

"Don't leave us please!"

And the last thing the girls heard were clicking noises in the distance from the road they came from before the gates closed behind them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello there! This has been in my head FOR MONTHS ever since I finished SPOP S5 and watching a TLOU2 gameplay, so my mind did two-plus-two and said "hey, let's try these two in a fic!" And... almost four months later, here I am. So, as I warned in the tags: yes, I'm going to make almost everyone's names "realistic" and yes, I'm going to fall into that HC that says Catra is from South America/Brazilian and I'm going to indulge in it cuz I myself am Latina.
> 
> Anyway, if you have some comments, some constructive criticism, you know where to write those! Help a wannabe writer out here, will ya? I hope I can update this every weekend but work's a fucko and I procrastinate a lot so... bear with me on this one if you actually get hooked in this story, heh.


	2. Beginnings Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Horde friend squad is ready to go on their first town raid mission! ...but are they really?

A mask, a gun, a shiv, bandages, and guts.

That's what they had learned to take with them to survive out there in the wilderness, where infected of different phases could appear out of nowhere to spill their guts recklessly.

It was weirdly soothing that other kids grew up with them in the new faction of the military in this part of the country, they weren't alone in ten years of training and discipline agenda, that was reassuring. "The Horde", as they were called, was slowly taking over the state and it was sustaining itself pretty well after the outbreak. No one ever dared to raid them or steal their goods, they were that frightening and effective.

Now their little group, often referred as 'team CLARK' amongst other soldiers, was out there in a scavenging mission near the fortress. Their new friends, Lonnie, Rogelio, and Kyle seemed to adapt with them in the apocalypse so they became really effective on the field when they were together.

Adora tiptoed her way in on a basement floor in some building on the far end of the site, wearing a mask as she had found there were spores. She had encountered around seven infected and she took them down noisily but effectively. She trusted her weapons of choice and her strength to get her around no matter if she was in stealth or full force mode. When she got all she could from the place, she rose to the surface to find their companions.

Catra, on the other hand, sneaked on the upper floor of said building, stealthily scanning the area and assessing what the best approach to attack the infected would be. There weren't that many but she didn't want to risk anything. Sometimes she was just careful, but sometimes she just ravaged her way in if she felt sure enough she had the upper hand. After a couple of minutes, she had five infected down on her count and she joined her group after snooping around.

Lonnie entered a store down the street, not so far from Adora and Catra, then she started to loot the place. As she advanced, she started to hear infected in the distance and she attracted them with noises to the outside where she instantly put them out cold with five bullets, one for each infected that appeared out of there. She wasn't considered their 'marksman' for nothing.

Kyle and Rogelio always paired up when they had a chance. Kyle had always been the weakest of them in terms of strength and agility, but they all agreed he was keen and aware of his surroundings, which was used for their advantage. Rogelio was considered the strongest, followed by Adora, but he was surprisingly stealthier than Catra this time as he found out four Stalkers roaming in the office room both of them were in. Kyle told him a pattern they were seemingly taking, as the infected apparently played a wicked game of tag with their prey. Rogelio followed the pattern and surprised each enemy with a shiv on their necks. He was about to boast his win but Kyle grabbed his gun and pointed behind him and shot twice, a clicking noise fading behind Rogelio. He sighed in relief, but Kyle apparently wasn't done as the boy walked with a confident stride a couple steps past Rogelio and shot again at an incoming Runner. It was then that Kyle let go of his breath and laughed along with Rogelio, who hugged him sideways and guided them outside to meet the others.

"Well! What did we get?" Adora stretched as she asked her team. "I got alcohol, rags, bullets for a rifle and a scope...it can help you with your project, Lonnie."

"Hell yeah! Thanks. I hope I can finish that badass baby soon." She took said items from Adora and stuffed them in her bag, "I found shotgun bullets for you, some arrows, and bandages."

"Got some bolts, pieces and parts, med kits, bullets for a 9mm, canned food..." Catra listed as she got the items out of her bag.

"We got some parts too, I found a revolver but no luck with its bullets. Can someone give me a bandage please?" Kyle shyly asked and showed a scratch on his arm by rolling up his sleeve.

"I'm going to give you the parts once I'm done patching Kyle." Rogelio sat down next to him.

"How many did you take down anyway? That looks nasty. Adora made a mess from what I heard." Catra raised an eyebrow at the boys but didn't think too much about it because it was common between them.

"Yeah, it was a disaster but I took down seven."

"Whoa, that's great!" Kyle praised.

"Five for me."

"Five on my end."

Catra and Lonnie looked at each other surprised and chuckled.

"Well I...have two." The three girls looked at Kyle as if he was crazy, "what? It's the truth! A Clicker and a Runner."

"Yeah, he saved me from a Clicker at the last moment and that attracted a Runner," Rogelio defended him.

"Rogelio killed four Stalkers though and they didn't even notice."

"What?! Killing Stalkers like that gets you double points! That was our rule, right?" Lonnie recalled.

"... yeah, it seems you win this time, Ro." Adora sighed disappointed but didn't hide the smile she had because she was so close to winning.

"C'mon, we should get back. We'll get our stuff at the base." Catra stood up and gathered her stuff and motioned everyone to get going. 

It was way past midday and the sun was warm compared to the gentle breeze in the characteristically cool autumn weather from October. They walked through the woods that separated their base from the rest of the world and checked themselves in with the guards at the entrance before leaving their stuff at their station and locker room, then walked to their own 'barracks' inside the great town that was called the 'Fright Zone'. They enjoyed themselves, talking and joking around the green narrow hallways before getting to their destination, hoping to rest soon. What they didn't expect was to see a high rank officer waiting for them at their door.

"Good afternoon cadets," they all saluted Captain Octavia with serious but confused expressions, "tomorrow you're going to report at Weaver's office to get a debriefing for a raid mission, so you better get ready now. The raid's gonna be a big one so stay sharp. That's all, dismissed."

Octavia stepped aside to let them in, but they all looked stunned and astonished at the news.

"We're...going to a raid?!" Kyle's voice rose like a shrill out of excitement.

"Guess we're about to step in the major leagues now, eh?" Rogelio and Lonnie gave each other a high-five in celebration.

"Seems like it," Adora, ever the leader, walked in the room and suggested everyone else prepare and try to rest as much as possible.

Adora didn't let go of Catra's silence at that moment. They both had conflicted feelings about raiding and fighting other people, but they agreed that if it was necessary, they'd fight back. They knew each other well to trust the other would handle themselves with an infected, but a conscious person? That was a challenge she didn't think they'd be taking so soon. Why was the Horde raiding anyway? Was it because they were just claiming lands? Was it because they just wanted those people's goods? They had discussed it many times during those ten years that went on since the outbreak, and concluded that they didn't have much of a choice but to follow orders until they could get to the upper ranks, if it was possible, to change how things ran there. They learned how to be reckless on the field, but they still cared for people regardless. Most of the cadets were separated from their families and didn't get a saying in what they wanted. It was a harsh daily reminder.

She had made it her own personal mission to get a better life for everyone there. As a better life one could get in the middle of the apocalypse, that is. Reminded of her own resolve, she went to sleep.

Catra remained sleepless for a whole hour though, looking at the ceiling and around the room from her bunk bed, never moving too much as not to startle her friends. She wondered what they would find there, if there would be any chances of finding hints of their foster family, if they were there once or if they lived there... She felt a knot tightening in her chest at the fact they never knew what happened to them. No closure, no hints, no way to know if they were alone and on their own again, like before they were adopted.

She peered down silently to the bed below hers to find Adora turning and grunting at a whisper's volume. She sighed at the sight.

They both weren't going to heal from all of the ordeal soon. That was the only thing she knew for sure.

* * *

The next morning they all got up a bit earlier than usual, not wanting to get on Sargeant Weaver's bad side that day so they got ready and steeled their nerves to walk to her office. Adora looked at her companions, her gaze lingered on hers a second longer though, then took a deep breath and knocked twice on the dark wood door. Weaver's voice was a bit muffled from the other side but it was clear enough to understand the instruction to go in.

"Good morning, cadets," her honeyed voice hasn't changed a bit and it put Catra out of balance at the memories it brought. "We'll be raiding a northern town across the valley past the forest later today in the evening."

She showed them a short scale map of the surroundings and started to give instructions, suggestions and recommendations at what they should do there and what they should take with them for the trip.

"From what we gathered out of the recon reports, their scouts aren't big and we should be able to get more information from those people when we get there. They have a pattern and a routine, and we already know what to do to surprise them." The officer pulled the map up and regarded them with a cold gaze, "you'll receive more information on site. Don't slack around waiting until the last minute to get ready, go on. Dismissed."

When all of them got out and the door clicked shut, they all sighed in relief which made them chuckle as they walked down the corridors to the armour and weapon station. The fact that they all were afraid of Sgt. Weaver soothed her in a weird way, she wasn't the only one that felt off about the woman, apart from Adora of course.

As she picked and gathered her own weapons and resources on the counter against the wall, she lingered into the fact that Adora and she trained under her wing before the other three joined them and made a team. She had taught them how to defend themselves and how to get around the Horde as they grew up to become the most valuable cadets around. Even some high rank officers walked past them and smiled, patted them on the shoulder or greeted them casually. She should've felt powerful, respected, safe.

But feeling safe in a place where everything could go wrong was the one thing that could get you killed.

Adora noticed Catra was fumbling with her stuff, apparently nervous, thinking about something that was gnawing her insides. They knew each other that well to know. She put a hand on her shoulder gently and she let a shaky breath out, confirming her thoughts.

"Hey, did you sleep well last night?"

"I slept but didn't get that much rest." Catra shrugged, taking a deep breath and grounding herself with Adora's touch.

"Thinking about the raid?"

"...sorta."

The pause told her she had dug deep in her consciousness. They both took every chance when they were on missions to look for hints about their foster family but after ten years, Adora was starting to lose hope...but she couldn't steel herself to say that to Catra.

"Adora. Focus, will you? Get your stuff together."

"Already did." She leaned sideways on the table, crossing her arms and grinning smugly at Catra.

"Remember what we talked about the other day?" The brunette took a deep breath and whispered. She nodded slowly, her smile fading away and getting back to her stuff even though she did have everything ready.

That conversation annoyed her, she didn't want to remember it so she just shook her head in disapproval and left the room begrudgingly, she figured she had to get something to eat anyway. Catra didn't want to give people the wrong impression or get in trouble because of their closeness? Adora didn't quite get why it was such an issue. Then again, she recalled some cadets and even superior officers pairs trying to sneak around but they always were found and whenever she saw them again, they didn't look quite the same; crestfallen expressions, not much energy, and rigid movement. Whatever happened to them, she didn't want to find out.

Catra silently and mentally slapped herself at the harsh comment to Adora. She clicked her tongue once while still preparing her backpack. It wasn't that she wanted to push her away, it was that she was taking care of them both! She dreaded that if a high rank officer looked at them and suspected something was up, they'd both be in trouble and with Weaver on their backs, she feared a punishment would be atrocious. She hoped those thoughts would go away and Adora would go back to her normal self by the time the raid happened.

The day went by fairly quickly after breakfast and lunch. They both didn't get to dig deeper holes on their anxiety about that morning. In fact, it was being replaced by thrill, excitement, and fear, all at the same time.

When they were called by Sargeant Weaver, they quickly grabbed their gear, all set and walked out to the northern gates that were built in the enormous walls that protected the fortress town. They saw at least twenty more people that were called to the raid. Just how much power did they need? 

A running truck could be heard nearby, they guessed it was going to be easier to get to their destination like that rather than on foot. It was a change of pace, neither of them remembered what a car ride was like. It had been too long.

When all of the cadets and officers were ready and up, the truck started to move. The trip was silent, some of them were around their late teenage years and were about to face their first raid like they were. Others were in their twenties and looked far more relaxed than the younger ones, talking amongst each other to pass time. At the end of the seats were the officers, speaking in hushed tones so from their position they couldn't tell what they were saying.

At least twenty minutes of awkward and tense silence went by before the truck stopped. The officers addressed the group and suggested they stay on alert at any time and check their surroundings.

When all of team CLARK got out, they took in the view of the mountains. There were a few trees on the plateau but they didn't make up for much cover. At least they had height advantage as they stood on a cliff, which gave way down below to a rocky slide and the town they were going to raid.

An officer clad in camouflage clothes and jet black boots approached them with a big, large case and told them to step back and wait near the truck for instructions. He pulled out what they recalled was a bolt action sniper rifle from military education. He set it up near the edge of the cliff and put down a mat.

"Sergeant Weaver. You said one of your cadets was qualified to handle a sniper?" His toneless gravelly voice was directed to the woman as he crossed his arms.

"Correct. Cadet Griffin!" Lonnie perked up at the call of her last name and uncomfortably walked to the officers and saluted. "Show your fellow cadets how to shoot a rifle, may you?"

Catra and Adora shared sideway frowns at the comment. They both saw Lonnie take a shuddering deep breath and laid down to get her hands on the massive weapon.

"Cadets," the man spoke again, "we're going to form squads while miss Griffin aids us from here. When she makes the distraction shot, that's going to be your chance to get in. I understand if some of you still don't have enough guts to kill, but there are people that will get you no matter if you're still young. Do whatever is necessary to survive. May we achieve victory today!"

Everyone, mostly the older soldiers, cheered on, except for them. They reluctantly took out their go-to weapons and started their descent down the side of the mountain, rounding the canyon below.

This part of the land was more filled with nature than the top of it, they hushed to the bushes among some pines and moved while crouched to see a patrol collecting goods from earth.

Catra guided her gaze up to see the reflection of the rifle's scope. Tense seconds of silence went by, as they all looked at each other waiting for the shot to be made. Catra wondered if Lonnie was feeling pressured, this was a great deal for sure. The whole operation was going to start at her call, at her pull of the trigger, at her own pace. The tawny girl was confident, capable, and independent, but Catra figured that all firsts made someone nervous. Would she kill the person that's on the other side of the scope? Or merely try a different approach for a distraction?

The brunette heard the sharp sound resonate along the canyon and with it came a sickening scream of pain from the other side of the bushes. An injured person would make their people lose control at the sudden turn of events, of course Lonnie had thought about that.

She heard the other cadets start shooting their rifles towards the wall, which housed guards at the top of it. The ones with short distance weapons advanced due to the cover fire of their folk. Then, she saw Adora from the corner of her sight, frowning and seemingly steeling herself for what was about to happen next. Ever the leader, she motioned Kyle, Rogelio and her to move forward.

"Rogelio, make cover fire for me."

He followed the command with one simple nod and started to shoot at their enemy's standing ground. It seemed like none of them wanted an actual body count apart from the infected. Adora's cue to get out of the bushes was when she saw people retreating behind the trees. At that, she grabbed her pump shotgun and ran into the fray. She looked back to spot Rogelio about to reload so she had to duck back down and avoid the defender's attack. When she noticed him get up and about to make a distraction again, she started to get a look at her surroundings. The other cadets were having trouble advancing too, they didn't expect this much resistance apparently.

The battlefield was a disadvantage. The trees ended at an edge and gave way to an empty land between the small, thin forest and the battle stations of their destination. That gave Adora an idea. She pulled her backpack on her lap and quickly found the materials to make a molotov, once that was in her hands, she stood up against a tree trunk and motioned Rogelio with her hand to keep her covered.

The distance wasn't that great, she could make the shot easily even if she was this pinned down. She threw it in a long arc and for a second the shooting stopped, as if her action had made everyone have second thoughts about what was going to happen. The bottle hit the thick wooden trench and set it on fire, making the defenders behind it retreat to the inner town. She could hear the other cadets cheering on and advancing, with their firearms at the ready to fight whatever waited for them inside. They felt sure enough to step out of their hiding spots to face the walls because in the middle of their own shooting, Lonnie had taken care of the few that were on top of the wall, injuring them rather painfully.

Adora changed her shotgun for a 9mm and motioned her friends to follow. Past the gates, they saw their fellow soldiers knocking out whoever stood in their way, whether or not they were armed. The sight sickened her but continued to step inside the place, scanning and thinking where they could go. She really wished she could do something against it.

Catra fell in close to Adora during their uneasy gazing around. She wore her brass knuckles but seeing as everything was going, she hoped she didn't have to use them.

They had reached what seemed to be the middle of town before they decided to barge in a makeshift bar. They had food and alcohol, which seemed to be from before the outbreak. It was bound to be aging well.

Catra wore her confident and intimidating mask, walking with purpose towards the person behind the counter. She could feel her friends watching her back, dumbfounded and confused.

"Hello there," she smirked casually. "How much will that be?" She pointed at a rum bottle at the middle shelf on the wall after flourishing her hand, showing off her weapon.

"... it's not on sale, miss," the man stuttered.

"Like hell it isn't!" She climbed up the counter rather gracefully compared to her tone. Then, she grabbed the man by his collar and pulled him close, "give it to us. Now."

Catra let him go and he instantly rushed to take the bottle but purposely put it away from her. She eyed him suspiciously. She slowly stepped back to retrieve it, but once she was near her target, another occupant from the place came from a door behind the counter and quickly attacked her with a bat but she ducked back as she took the bottle with her. Her friends noisily made their guns show, which made the bar people stop their defense.

Adora walked to the front first, away from the defenders and put some of her currency on the counter, and looking at each one of them dead in the eye. Rogelio and Kyle did the same.

“Thanks for the service,” Catra left her own too, then moved backwards, not taking her eyes out from the townspeople.

When they opened the door to get out, more foes came their way and Rogelio, who was the one at the back, took a hit to his knee. It was hard enough to make him fall down and bend but before the perpetrator could strike again, Adora tackled him onto the pavement. Her arms became bruised from the rough floor as they were beneath the man’s knees to topple him down, but the adrenaline helped her get up again by untangling herself and give her enemy a quick but effective right jab punch on his face, making him pass out instantly.

She stood up and saw Rogelio recover, standing up to face yet another townsperson. They ran recklessly towards him, no defense up in their stance at all so he gave them a side kick on their belly, making them roll down on the floor in pain.

Catra walked out and stopped a girl who was about to hit Kyle with her bare hands. She didn't seem to have too much experience but the brunette didn't let her guard down as she defended her friend. She flashed her brass knuckles at her, opting for intimidation before engaging in a fight. The girl visibly gulped but didn't back down as she tried to swing a left hook on Catra’s face. She easily missed it by taking a step back and retaliated by jabbing her face twice hard and quickly. Her weapons became stained with blood as the girl stumbled back and kneeled, lifting her hands to her nose to try and stop the injury. At the sight, Catra flinched and went to meet the rest of her friends in the middle of the street to avoid more fighting.

When they were all gathered together, they noticed their fellow cadets, soldiers and Horde officers walking around freely, as if the raid was over. Adora and Catra took advantage of the sense of peace to look around the buildings and check if they recognized something or someone from their childhood. At least ten minutes passed before they agreed there was nothing and went back to Rogelio and Kyle.

“Hey, guys!” All of them turned to Lonnie’s voice, “we did it! Commander Hordak told me I could come down and meet you here. Did you find something interesting?”

Adora, Catra and Rogelio glanced at each other, a bit worn out although they didn’t fight much.

“Wait, did you say Commander Hordak?” Kyle pointed out and that made them all three realize that-

“Why, yes mister Evans,” the man came to them with Sargeant Weaver behind him. “I came to this raid with you today by Weaver’s request. She told me that her most valuable cadets were ready for this and you didn’t disappoint.”

The soldiers saluted him once they were addressed which made Hordak chuckle, and that made them a bit uncomfortable and confused.

“It’s true that Commander Hordak doesn’t come to the battlefield but he graced us with his presence today and we were victorious indeed.” Weaver said carefully.

“Let’s go back to the Fright Zone, this has been a glorious raid indeed!”

They didn’t notice all the rest of the people that were around them, cheering and celebrating while they walked back to the gates.

When they were finally already out of the town and up on top of the cliff again, they realized two more trucks came while they were in the middle of the raid. They all wondered silently why they were there.  As they climbed back up in the truck they came in, they noticed some of the townspeople they found in the bar and other places around, being taken as some sort of prisoners into the other trucks.

They decided not to talk nor think about it though. The raid was over and they hoped they could relax for a couple days at home before going out and dealing with that kind of experience again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, I know the summary says one week and it's been two or three? But work is messy...  
> But whatever the first chapter of the story is here!
> 
> I hope you enjoy it and remember you can leave constructive criticism in the comments, any ideas for this story, if you like it or not... Well, until next time!


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